☯Emily ’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2011)

☯Emily ’s comments from the Classics for Beginners group.

It doesn't appear that the thread has been posted yet. I started reading it also. It is not quite as interesting as I remember it from a child.

I'll repeat Oscar Wilde, especially The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Windermere's Fan.

For Moliere, I can highly recommend Tartuffe.

Of course, you have Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill. Plays are pretty easy to read too. Maybe we should have a month for reading plays by a particular person.

I enjoy reading and watching plays by George Bernard Shaw, Chekhov and Moliere. Those are playwrights that come immediately to mind. I would prefer to watch plays by these writers than those by Shakespeare.

Yes, he died. The news just did a piece on his work. Funny, I had just finished the book two days ago.

Crime and Punishment is a little difficult to read in the beginning. Persevere, it will get better.

Anna, take your time and enjoy them. They are not really meant to be rushed through. I like to read them when I have some leisure time, so I can savor them.

A Tale of Two Cities is the best book that Dickens wrote. I don't like most of his books, but A Tale is the exception.

Is the name of the author spelled correctly? I thought it was Bradbury.

Yes, Dickens childhood was extremely unhappy. He had to go to work as a child and that was a traumatic experience.

As an adult, Dickens was pretty cruel to his wife. He was not a very nice person!

Finished Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy on 4/19/12.
Completed A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens on March 28, 2012.

Have read the following:
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Light in August by William Faulkner
The Odd Women by George R. Gissing

Well, USA is not part of the Commonwealth. However, many here certainly embrace our English origins, from those who don't want any other language spoken to the great hoopla when Prince William married Kate.

I remember when they tried. I was in elementary school and no one could explain it (the metric system) to us little kids. After a few years, I never was taught again, although many of the cans, cartons and containers put both measurements on them.

Michael wrote: "Thanks, Jonathan, so I see. Non-Americans with their snooty celsius, and long histories, and precise measurement systems, and various flavored creams."

Australia has a long history?

I read Hard Times a few years ago. I thought it was one of Dickens better novels. Then read Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, which is about the same topic as Hard Times. You should try to read that book sometime, if you haven't.

Just finished watching the PBS show. Loved it.

Now I found the other two. They are at the bottom of the poll section and people will have to scroll down to find them. Can you put them at the top with the other poll?

I only see one poll.

I set up a Buddy Read separated into sections because several people indicated they wanted to read the book and many indicated they wanted to read at their own pace. I find it frustrating to participate in a group reading when there are spoilers. Separating the readings is helpful and other groups do it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the ones who were going to do the buddy read actually participated. In that respect, it didn't work out. If the group says it shouldn't be done that way in the future, I won't set it up that way.

"So he still has another year before he can go to school! He's already bored. I was seriously thinking about home schooling for awhile, it's becoming increasingly popular, but my husband is against it for social reasons. I'm still not sure."

I homeschooled my children until college. There are so many activities for homeschoolers that you have to plan your day. In addition, there is Scouts, art classes, sports, etc. Most of the socialization is school is negative, while homeschooling is more profitable and helpful in developing your child's social skills. The parents are present and can stop the negative behavior/bullying/tantrums, etc. quickly.

In addition, colleges love homeschooled graduates. My son got accepted at every school he applied to.

I suggest you find a local homeschooling group and see what opportunities they offer.